


compressed

by poor_sickies



Series: tumblr prompt fills [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Injury, Nerve Damage, Pain, it's temporary though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-25 13:07:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16198160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poor_sickies/pseuds/poor_sickies
Summary: Keith gets his legs crushed.





	compressed

Keith doesn’t feel it right away.

It’s only when he sits up and tries to move his legs to the side that he notices the metal beam trapping his lower half.

Panic rushes through his mind for a quick second, before he decides to try to escape.

He leans forward with a wince, feeling something not quite right with his ribs, and tries to push the beam away with his arms, only to realize his left one was rendered useless, clearly broken.

“Fuck,” he whispers under his breath.

His good arm reaches to feel around his head. He still has his helmet! Only it seemed to be cracked in some places, but there was still hope.

“Guys,” he calls out, hoping the communication device was still operational, “I’m gonna need a lift.”

There’s some static and Keith feels queasy, probably a combination of how nervous he is, and his injuries.

He knows his legs are trapped under the metal beam and he can’t move them. He also knows his arm is broken, and he has probably busted a rib or two. But exactly how long would he have to wait for a rescue?  _If_.  _If_ there was even any rescue to come.

He takes a deep breath and tries to remain calm.

“ _Keith- …are you-_ ”

Shiro’s voice sounds from the comms. It’s broken, and there’s a lot of static, but his message had gone through.

“Shiro! I’m on the lower levels,” Keith says. He leans back a little, his right arm stretched back, hand on the floor behind him to support his body. His torso hurt more in the previous position, and stopping the strain on his ribs is definitely a small relief.

“Keith!” He hears, but this time it doesn’t come from the comms. It’s Shiro, loud and clear, from the end of the hall, running towards him.

“I’m here!”

“Keith!” Shiro kneels beside him, eyes widening at the beam. “We gotta get this thing off you. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“I busted a couple of ribs, and I’m pretty sure my arm’s broken.”

“We’ll have to deal with that later,” Shiro says, as he places both hands under the beam and pulls upwards.

It takes a few minutes, but Shiro manages to free Keith’s legs.

It’s not a pretty sight though.

Both feet are crushed and twisted out of place. The left knee is rotated inward, and part of the left fibula is sticking out of the skin. Shiro winces. That will grant Keith at least a couple of days in the cryopod, and maybe even some permanent damage. Either way, they have to get out of here.

“Okay, I’m gonna pull you up and carry you on my shoulder,” Shiro tells him, “it’s gonna hurt your ribs, but it’s the safest way to carry you right now because of your legs.”

Keith nods, eyes shut, preparing himself for the pain. He manages not to cry out when his chest hits Shiro’s shoulder, and his metal arm wraps around his waist.

“You good?” Shiro has started walking to the exit. “Black is right around this floor. We managed to get the sentries locked up on the upper levels. So we’ll be back to the castle soon enough.”

“It’s fine,” Keith rasps out, trying not to think about the pain in his chest.

Shiro nods and keeps walking. “Almost there, buddy.”

“Hey Shiro,” Keith asks, his voice shaky and low, “is bad that I can’t feel my legs?”

Shiro stops suddenly. “Not  _at all_? Not even a bit?”

“Not really.”

Shiro starts walking again, but slower this time. “Can you move them at all?”

Keith tries. He closes his eyes and focuses really hard.

Shiro’s breathing can be heard, heavy and fast, both from nervousness and from carrying Keith.

“I can move my toes a little.”

Shiro sighs in relief.

“Okay. There’s probably some nerve damage, but it shouldn’t be permanent.”

Black waits with his mouth open at the end of a large tunnel, and Shiro walks faster. It’s when Keith starts feeling it.

“U-Uh- I think I can feel my legs again,” Keith says. It’s an uncomfortable feeling, like pins and needles all over his lower half, but it doesn’t get better.

It gets worse.

“Shiro- I-It  _hurts_ … ah-h-”

They’re finally inside the black lion, and Shiro picks him up and lays him on the floor, in the back of the cockpit, as gently as he can.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Shiro runs his back up and down, holding his good hand, “it’s normal. You’re getting the feeling back to your legs.”

The pins and needles are now knifes and swords, stabbing and slicing through his nerve endings. His left knee feels like it’s twisting on itself, and his feet…

“H-hurts…” he whimpers, hands hiding his face. It’s not like Keith to cry when he’s injured, but this kind of pain… it’s unbearable.

Black is on autopilot, thanks to the mind bond with Shiro, and the castle can be seen from the front.

Shiro lets Keith lean against him, and holds him, taking off his helmet and letting him cry against his chest.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. We’re almost there, you’re gonna be okay.”

* * *

 

As soon as Black opens up, Lance and Hunk and Pidge run to the entrance, followed by Coran and Allura.

“Keith!”

“What happened!?”

Shiro picks Keith up over his shoulder, like before, trying not to think about the stifled whimpers still coming from him. “Clear out. We need to get him to a cryopod.”

“We need to make sure the bones are at least in the right place though,” Coran observes.

“Yeah, or else it’ll heal up all wrong,” Hunk says, “how bad is it?”

Shiro keeps walking as fast as he can to the infirmary. “His legs were crushed under a beam, I’m pretty sure an ankle and knee are twisted out of place,” he explains, granting him many worried looks. Keith seems quieter now, but he’s very much conscious and in pain. “Other than that, he may have broken some ribs, and an arm.”

Once inside the infirmary, Keith is laid on one of the beds, and Shiro stands beside him. The others get close too, but Coran ushers them out.

“We need space here, paladins,” he says, motioning to the door, “and I’m certain you don’t want to see this.”

They all stand outside, although reluctantly, and only Shiro and Coran stay.

Keith cries out again when they realign the bones in both of his ankles and left knee, and whimpers softly as they put him on the cryopod.

And now they wait.

* * *

 

When the pod opens up, his legs crumble underneath him, and it’s Shiro and Hunk who rush to him, holding him up on either side. With their help, he manages to sit on a nearby chair.

“It’s good to have you back,” Shiro smiles a little, “how do you feel?”

“Tired. My legs hurt.” Keith mumbles, his eyes closed, and mouth in a tight line. The broken bones had healed, but his ankles and knees, especially on the left side, still ached, much like old injuries do after some time.

“You can move them, right?” Hunk kneels beside him, poking and prodding around Keith’s left ankle, making him wince. Keith manages to rotate his feet and bend his knees, but not painlessly.

“I can, but it’s difficult,” he pants out, “feels harder than it should. Why didn’t the pod heal it?”

“Coran said there would be some nerve damage,” Hunk says as he gets up, “but it shouldn’t be permanent. So until it heals, your nerve endings will be going crazy for a while.”

“You mean it’ll hurt,” Keith mumbles bitterly, one of his hands massaging his calf.

“Probably. Shouldn’t last more than three or four days. A week tops.”

Keith sighs. His body is so tired, and he just wants to sleep for a while. Fortunately, Shiro notices.

“Hey, come on now,” he comes up behind Keith, placing a hand on his shoulder, “you should probably get some sleep.”

Keith can’t disagree. With Shiro and Hunk’s help, he makes his way to his bedroom and lays on the bed. It feels nice and soft, but the pain doesn’t lessen. He’s left alone with orders to rest, and fortunately, despite it all, sleep comes easy.

*

It’s the pain that wakes him up this time, sharp and relentless, like he’s being stabbed suddenly.

He rolls over with a groan, and tries to find a more comfortable position, but nothing helps.

“You look like you’re in pain,“ says a tired voice from his left.   
  
It’s Lance.

The room is dark enough, but Keith can see him getting up and kneel by his bedside.

Keith sighs. “There’s nothing you can do.” He says, and it comes out raspy and exhausted, like he felt.

“I know,” Lance answers, propping his elbow on the edge of the bed, “still sucks.”

“What’s it like? The pain,” Lance asks, after a moment of silence. “Is it like, dull, or short and sudden?”

Keith snorts and wonders why the hell does Lance want to know. But then again, when Lance has a problem, he likes to talk it out. Maybe he was trying to do the same for Keith.

So Keith answers.

“Dull, most of the time,” he explains, “but sometimes it comes all at once. Like I’m being crushed all over again.”

“That must have been pretty scary.”

“I think it was. I don’t remember much, though,” he shrugs, “only how it felt.”

“Yeah, you were pretty out of it when Shiro got you back to the castle,” Lance says. “You think some tea would help?”, he offers, “it’s still the middle of the night, and you really should get some sleep.”

“Its not like I’m not trying,” Keith retorts back, “besides, you should be sleeping too,” he groans, “I can get myself some tea if I want to.”

“You can barely stand, let alone walk to the kitchen,” Lance says softly, “I know it’s gonna suck, but you really have to rest up and let us help you through these next few days.”

They stay in silence for a while, until Keith sighs and shifts in his bed, rolling over to his back. “I’m gonna take you up on that tea offer.”

Lance gets up, smiling. “Be right back.”

When he goes back, two mugs in hands, Keith is snorihng softly.

 


End file.
